Initial Thoughts and Research

We received the second part of our Professional Frameworks, long thin assessment brief. I am super excited about this, as we can work on a personal project, which we have chosen ourselves. For Professional Frameworks 1, I was given the topic 'In The City', and pursued with the idea of photographing a post-apocalyptic cityscape with a subject stood in the foreground of each. I really liked this idea, but felt I had achieved all I could without replicating the same image over and over again. Therefore, I decided to move on and experiment more with fashion photography, as it is something I want to make into a career when I am educated. After receiving the brief of a personal project, I have decided I am going to work on something I have wanted to work on for a while now, and that I have a keen interest in. I want to produce a four page magazine layout, consisting of a front cover page, double spread article and advertisement. I have always been interested in high fashion and magazines documenting this, so I would like to produce one using my own images and typography!

Vogue Front Covers

I love the simplicity of Vogue front covers, they mostly consist of the standard black Vogue title, with a caption underneath the photograph, and details about pricing and availability in small print in the top left hand corner. The simplicity of these magazines means that the image can be the main focus of the magazine, showing who is in the magazine and what the main article is about. It also leaves something to be desired; what is in the rest of the magazine? Judging from the high quality of Vogues interviews and fashion stories, a lot!

This front cover caught my eye, through the contrast of colours and the additional text, alternative to typical Vogue covers. This is a front cover from Vogue Korea, which is the kind of magazine I read as it focusses on alternative Korean and Chinese culture and fashion, which offers an insight into the fashion world, from an alternative angle. When I produce my front cover, I intend to use minimal typography unlike this cover, as I want my main focus to be the image itself, although I might experiment with using different languages, in line with what my image represents culturally.

Elle Front Cover (Anniversary Edition)

I love the simplicity of this front cover, and the way the background has been formulated using flowers. Although it looks very messy, the background instantly caught my eye, and using an alternative background rather than just a plain white/black studio background might be something I wish to consider.

Double Page Spread (Article)

As far as I am aware, all the double page spread articles are from Vogue. This one is from Vogue in Asia, as far as I know. I love the period location they are wearing, it reminds me of the French revolution, when women used to don big gowns and posh corsets. I don't think I would have enough models or outfits to produce a group shot, however, I would like to think about using multiple exposures and have the same person in the shot more than once.

I think this is from Vogue France, I love the sultry look of this double page spread, and the way the title benefits the overall look. I love producing dark and mysterious photographs, and using a woodland location has benefitted the photographer well. Instead of using a studio for all of my shots, I may try using outdoor locations if I believe it will benefit my overall look.

This is exactly the type of shot I want to produce overall. A singular model dressed in high fashion and alternative clothing in a studio location. I plan to use the studio at University for my shot, combining my photography skills with a friend make up skills, and a local model to create a high fashion, catwalk style shot that could be seen in Vogue or Elle magazine!

Advertisement

I also plan to produce an advertisement that you would typically find at the back of a magazine. This would have to be based on a high street store such as Topshop, a designer store such as D&G or Chanel or a brand of make up, such as Barry M (as explored in Photo Skills A) and Rimmel. I would like to do a high street store, as it would be much easier to find clothes from the current season to wear and photograph. I would need to discuss with my local Topshop whether I could borrow some items of clothing for my model to wear at no cost.

"You are asked to define a theme or remit for your personal work over the duration of the module which ill result in a body of work to include new visual photographic work (an edit of 4-8 images), reflection, research and evaluation."

As for defining a theme, I want to explore the theme of Spring. The season over the course of this module is mostly Spring, so therefore, I want to make the most of the weather and photograph my models outdoors! My edit will consist of 5 images; 1 for my front cover, 3 for my double page spread(s) and 1 for my advertisement.